$150 weekly stipend

[broadway]

I just saw this ad posted on Craigslist.

A man is looking for a full-time live-in caregiver for his 92-year mother who lives in a lovely home in a gated community here in NJ.

The pay is the $150/week stipend, room and board, gas/Uber/taxi, and amenities. I am guessing he means clubhouse use.

Isn't $150 a bit stingy?

 

[Sunset]

Probably hoping to get some immigrant from a country where earning $3/hr is considered a high paying job.
He will need 2 or 3 to provide 24hr coverage. A company providing that would probably charge $20,000/mo.

 

[ERD50]

...
Isn't $150 a bit stingy?

Not if he gets qualified takers. I have no idea if qualified people would apply at that rate, but if they are serious about wanting to hire help, they will soon find out.

With most expenses taken care of, $7,500 a year (minus some discretionary spending) might be far more than they could save on their own if they had a 40 hr/week job and had to pay their own way. $10/hr * 40 hrs/wk * 50 weeks is ~ $20,000, so $7,500 is a big chuck of that.

-ERD50

 

[SecondCor521]

That's about what my (now ex-) wife got paid back in the late-80's/early-90's to be a nanny in New York taking care of one then two adorable little boys of a high-powered couple that sort of looked at kids...well, in a different way than I do. She had her own private room+bath and got use of the extra car, and it really was mostly all day during the day plus the occasional evening so the parents could go out.

So to me $150 per week to take care of a 92-year-old is on the stingy side, especially if it comes with any sort of nursing/assisted living type of job responsibilities.

 

[tinlizzy]

Does board mean food? Still sounds a little low and I think I'd want a lawyer to draw up a contract spelling out end of life decisions and liability for falls, etc.

 

[Amethyst]

Can the lady be left alone? If not, how can the caregiver take advantage of the "amenities"?

No matter what, it's a cheapskate offer. Teenage babysitters get more than that.

 

[Just_Steve]

Its fine job for an undocumented worker.
3 hots and a cot plus pocket money all off the books most likely.

 

[broadway]

Probably hoping to get some immigrant from a country where earning $3/hr is considered a high paying job.
He will need 2 or 3 to provide 24hr coverage. A company providing that would probably charge $20,000/mo.

7 days a week x 16 hours/day = 112 hours
I am deleting 8 hours/day for sleep.
All other times this person is on-the-job.
So, this person would be getting $1.34 / hour.

 

[Bestwifeever]

7 days a week x 16 hours/day = 112 hours
I am deleting 8 hours/day for sleep.
All other times this person is on-the-job.
So, this person would be getting $1.34 / hour.

There is a value in the room, board, etc., that should be included imo. Someone should be paying taxes.

My grandparents lived with an elderly gentleman in his home in a small Iowa town; my grandmother was his caregiver/housekeeper, making all his meals, doing laundry, driving him, etc. I doubt she was paid anything but his children who all lived far away gave her the house when he passed away in his 90s. It was a good arrangement for everyone and probably not uncommon way back in the day.

 

[Moemg]

That is crazy and all that would attract is someone who would scam the elderly or steal anything of value .

 

[youbet]

​

I just saw this ad posted on Craigslist.

A man is looking for a full-time live-in caregiver for his 92-year mother who lives in a lovely home in a gated community here in NJ.

The pay is the $150/week stipend, room and board, gas/Uber/taxi, and amenities. I am guessing he means clubhouse use.

Isn't $150 a bit stingy?

It's stingy only because it calls for a "caregiver." That implies mom needs lots of care/help. If it called for a "companion" where mom can pretty much take care of herself but doesn't want to be alone too much and housekeeping and laundry was done by another service, it might be OK. It's all in the details.

 

[NYEXPAT]

25-30 years ago when we lived in NY, we were paying $250.00/wk for a live in.

My 99 y/o Father pay's $22.00/hr now for grocery shopping, taking a bath,etc and the worker gets $8.00/hr out of that.

Now, I pay less than $400/mth for our help, which is 7:30-6:00PM 5 days a week and 1/2 day Saturday plus all meals,medicine.

 

[TrvlBug]

... ...
Isn't $150 a bit stingy?

That's an understatement! 20 years ago we paid $24K/yr, room and board, 2 weeks paid vacation for 6 days a week for in-home caregiving for parent. One day week was off and we called in a caregiver from an agency. All taxes were paid.

 

[W2R]

Might be good for a teenager who just left home, too. Probably you could do some sewing or piecework during most of the time, since it sounds like the main task there is just to be present in case needed. I did all night (12 hours) babysitting for a lady cop while she was at work, when I was that age, and combined it with piecework and also had time to do homework since I was a full time university student during the day. (Sleep? who sleeps? )

 

[Fedup]

It's very low, I think my family paid much more than that 20 years plus ago. We had two full time persons and a lot of Part-timers to chip in. The part timers are family members.

 

[rodi]

I love the use of the term stipend. When I was treasurer for a non profit I found that the previous treasurer and some of the contracted consultants felt that referring to compensation as a stipend meant that no 1099/1096's needed to be filed. Nope. The IRS was pretty clear on this and I corrected the process for going forward.

 

[Luck_Club]

I am currently managing 2 elders under differing circumstances.

1) Uncle is unable to walk or talk and has 24 hour live in care through an agency @ $169 a day. the care givers are supposed to prepare but not eat meals etc. We went through about 3 over a 24 month period. They receive a bedroom when on duty, but travel home when not on duty. I imagine their take is about $100 per day, with the agency and Uncle Sam taking the rest.

2) My Father who has Mobility issues (extremely obese), but can bathe and bathroom himself. I have a "cleaner" coming in 3 days a week to do his laundry, change the litter box and keep the place from turning into a pig sty. She earns about $30 a day 3 days a week for a couple of hours each visit.

Both jobs are low skill sets and if you count up actual work time the 24/7 people interact about 14 hours a week on average, the rest of the time is theirs, though they are stuck at the house.

So for earning a living $150 a week is terrible. If it is a means to another end it could be OK.

Let's say you are a single person doing contract web work or writing a book. You are not doing much and getting free room and board. Coupled with a big buck endevor